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More confused than ever - please help!

I posted a few days ago about some problems we were having with my daughter. We went to the pediatrician yesterday and taking into account everything that has been going on, she suggested that we give my daughter just formula for 48 hours to see how she responds. (I know that makes many of you cringe but we really needed something to try). They are also treating me for PPD so they wanted my husband to be able to take over completely for a little while. With all that said, the ped told me to pump during this time so that I can continue/go back to bfing if I want.
My daughter has been growing good so they aren't concerned about my milk supply, but I don't know how much I'm supposed to be getting when I pump? I have been pumping about every 3 hours using a double pump. (I didn't pump overnight last night b/c the doctor gave me medication to help me sleep and said she wanted me to get some good rest.) By the time 5minutes has passed the milk isn't really coming out anymore and I've gotten about an ounce out of each breast. Is this enough? I'm also concerned because even though no more will come out, my breasts still feel full.
I also have to make a decision about what to do once the 48 hours are up. The whole point of trying formula was to see if for some reason she wasn't responding well to my milk. I don't want to give up giving her breastmilk but at the same time I don't want to go back to it if it is bothering her. I also feel like I am going to need other people to be able to help feed her. Do y'all have any suggestions for what I should do? I'm considering trying to supplement breastfeeding with formula but don't know if I should or even how to get started.
Thank you so much for any help you can offer me.

Re: More confused than ever - please help!

have you looked up your local leader?
Shes around to help...
click on the find local support in the gray bar on top.
You can combine formula and breastfeeding lots of moms do.
Just make sure you are pumping as often as baby would nurse if they miss a feed and are getting a formula feed.
The pump isn't as good at getting out milk as a healthy baby!

how old is your baby?
It realy does get beter.. the 1st 6-8 weeks are very hard.
I'm going to go and look up your other posts.
If you have any other ?'s just ask you can pm me if you want
andrea

Re: More confused than ever - please help!

Before you do anything drastic, I would really suggest you get some in person help from an IBCLC or LLL Leader. They are great about evaluating a situation and helping you find a solution that will work for you. Your breast milk is the perfect food for your daughter. Occasionally there will be an allergy and you will need to avoid certain foods, but from what you've said, it doesn't sound like that is necessarily the case. Unlike your ped, a LC has the knowledge to help you with the ins and outs of bfing. I know the first weeks are hard and if you have ppd, you need to get that taken care of, but in the long run, bfing is much better for your baby and much easier. Can you get help with all the other aspects of life so you can just focus on feeding your baby? When DS was little, my mom came to stay for a few days at a time and it was amazing how much better I felt when I could hand him off when he woke up at 6 and go back to sleep for a couple of hours. About all I would do during that time was the nursing and some cuddling.

As far as pumping goes, if your breasts still feel full, you can massage them in small circles while pumping to help get out more milk. This is about manual expression, but the technique for milk ejection reflex is the same. http://www.lactationinstitute.org/MANUALEX.html

Re: More confused than ever - please help!

My daughter was 3 weeks old on Tuesday.
I'm actually in the process of getting ready to go stay with my parents so they can help me out. We are leaving tomorrow and will be going halfway across the country so that's why I just posted here rather than trying to contact a LLL.

Re: More confused than ever - please help!

Just so you know, most women don't get near as much from a pump as they would from breastfeeding. It isn't anywhere near as effective as the baby at getting the milk out. I know a lot of women can get discouraged because they see this small amount and think they are starving the baby! Not true. So please do not let the pump be an indicator as to how much milk your baby is getting.

That said, it will help maintain your supply so that if you do go back to breastfeeding, you won't have to struggle to get your supply back up.

And Andrea is so right, the first 6-8 weeks really are the hardest and it does get easier. You will find a groove and it will become second nature.

When you get to your parents, try to find a leader near them for some help. They really are wonderful. And please don't give up, it does get better, and your baby will benefit from it.

Re: More confused than ever - please help!

The baby can get lots more than a pump... So don't use that as an indicator of how much baby is getting. Baby may seem to respond to formula b/c it will keep him/her fuller longer. That doesn't mean something is wrong with your milk though....